"But he's gross," Alex said.
"He's not gross, and he's your brother," her mom said. "And it's only for a week or two, until the roof gets fixed."
"Can't I just sleep in the living room with you guys," Alex said, pleading with her mother.
"Your dad and I want some time alone, sweetheart," her mother answered, which was code that her mom and dad were going to bone tonight.
Alex sighed in frustration. She used to look up to her brother, James, but he had changed. Back in high school, James, had been quite popular. He was even a star athlete on the basketball team, but after high school James just sort of gave up. He and his girlfriend, Beth, broke up, and now all James did was mope around the basement. Alex had even caught him watching porn, once, when she went downstairs to use the bathroom. That seriously grossed her out, and she always used the bathroom upstairs after that.
"Let's just try it out for a few days, and see how it goes, okay." Her mom said trying to appease her.
"I think James has been very generous. He's letting you sleep on the hide-a-bed, while he'll sleep on the floor."
"God, he probably jerks off with the sheets," Alex said.
"Alexandra," her mom shouted.
"Well it's true," Alex fired back. "I'll probably get pregnant just sleeping on the bed."
"I'll change the sheets. Will that make you feel better?"
"I guess," Alex said.
"Well the other option is you can stay with friends."
Alex glared at her mom. Her mom damn well knew, she didn't have any friends. The kids at school hated her. Thank god she was 18, and would graduate in a few months.
The problem was she was too tall, way too tall.
It wasn't much of her surprise. Both her mom and dad were tall. So was her brother. Still she towered over them all, by at least a foot.
Because of her height, and because her brother had been Captain of the boys' basketball team, the women's basketball coach sought her out while she was still in junior high. She ran pretty fast. Her long, toned legs made running easy. But, her hand eye coordination was decidingly lacking.
To his credit, James had practiced with her the entire summer before she started high school to get her basketball skills up to par. He was very patient, and very sweet.
She might have made the team, if the coach hadn't insisted that she take off her glasses. After that, it was pretty much over. Several fouls later, she was told to hit the showers and never come back.
And, the girls never let her forget her disastrous turn as a basketball star. That's when she became the Amazon. And, three years later she was still the Amazon.
"It will be fine," her mom said. "You'll see. You might even fun."
"Fine," Alex said, but she wasn't happy about it.
She tried to stay up for as long as possible, even going so far as pretend she was actually interested in the football game her dad had pulled up on the TV.
Eventually, her mom told her to go to bed, and refused to listen to any of her protests.
It was cold in the basement.
If the basement had been carpeted it might have been okay, but the floors were cement which made it only colder.
She could feel the cold even through her socks.
God, she thought, how could her brother stand it?
James lay on the floor. He was asleep, but even with a blanket underneath him and a blanket over him, he looked miserable.
She headed into the bathroom to brush her teeth, and change into her bedclothes.
When she came out, she wore an old flannel shirt her dad had given her, and a pair of comfortable panties.
She headed towards the hide-a-bed, but stopped when she saw her brother. At some point, he must have kicked off the blanket and now she saw him shivering in his sleep.
She felt sorry for him. He was bare-chested, and the only thing he had on was a pair of sweatpants.
James was still in pretty good shape. There was the beginning of a pot belly from too much beer, but he still looked pretty good she thought. She hadn't meant to look, but her eyes, perhaps out of some primal instinct, drifted down to his crotch. Her eyes feasted on the large bulge she saw there. It was the first time she had ever seen a boy's thing up close. And, she stood there, staring at it, with her mouth slightly open.
The cold of the basement suddenly hit her, and she shook back to reality.
God. What was wrong with her? This was her brother.
"James," she said, trying to keep her voice down so that her parents wouldn't hear her.
"James," she said again, and this time kicked her brother lightly in his side.
"What," he said, his voice still groggy with sleep.
"Do you want to sleep with me," she asked. Her face flushed red immediately with embarrassment.
"What," her brother said again. He was fully awake now.
"Do you want to sleep with me in the bed?" She said. Her face was still red, and her own words sounded goofy to her.
James sat up. He thought for and moment, and then said: "No. It's okay. I'm fine here."
He grabbed the blanket, and adjusted it around him.
"Don't be an idiot," she said. "You're going to freeze to death. Come to bed."
James knew it was best not to argue with his sister or hell women in general, when they set their mind on something. So, he grabbed the blankets, and followed her to the hide-a-bed.
The bed was supposed to fit two people--two normal sized people.
Alex found, she had to lay on her side, with her knees curled up slightly, to fit comfortably on the bed.
James tried to lay on his back, but one of his legs hung over the side. Next, he tried to sleep on the opposite side of his sister, but he was so close to the edge that if he rolled over, even slightly, he'd fall off.
It became clear that if they were both going to fit, one of them would have to spoon with the other.
"Uh," James said, "I don't think this is such a good idea."
